Sebastien Le Belzic
modified to
2:27 p.m., November 19, 2021
After accusing a Chinese official of raping her, tennis player Peng Shuai disappeared. Chinese state media published an email on Wednesday that they attribute to the player, but its authenticity is questioned by world tennis authorities. These demand explanations from Beijing.
It is a matter that is gaining momentum in the world of tennis. Peng Shuai, a 35-year-old Chinese player, disappeared after accusing a senior Chinese official of rape. Former world No. 1 Serena Williams said she was “upset” and “shocked” by the worrying radio silence of the player she met on the women’s circuit. What worries the world of tennis is an email, attributed to the player, of which no one is convinced of the authenticity.
The player unreachable for two weeks
Addressed to the WTA, the email in question was published on Wednesday by CGTN, a Chinese state broadcaster. In this letter attributed to Peng Shuai, the player denies the accusations of sexual assault. However, these statements are impossible to verify because for two weeks, no one has been able to see the player or speak to her. Skeptical, Steve Simon, the boss of the WTA, has also threatened to withdraw Beijing from the circuit.
On November 4, in a long message posted on the Chinese social network Weibo, Peng Shuai accused the former Deputy Prime Minister Zhang Gaoli of having raped her. His message had remained online only about twenty minutes before being censored. But too late: the controversy shook the regime, which based part of its legitimacy on moral rectitude. More broadly, the case worries Beijing because it lifts the veil on the excesses of the communist aristocracy.
France “concerned” by the Peng Shuai affair
France is “concerned” about the fate of tennis player Peng Shuai, who disappeared after accusing a former senior Chinese Communist Party official of raping her, the foreign ministry said on Friday. “We are concerned by the lack of information on the situation of tennis player Peng Shuai, which worries the international community and sports circles,” said the Quai d’Orsay in a press release.